Tag Archives: soup

Cream of artichoke soup – Duarte’s Tavern

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Cream of artichoke soup - Duarte's Tavern
Served with freshly baked bread. $8.75
Duarte’s Tavern, Pescadero CA

Cream of artichoke soup - Duarte's Tavern
This place is FAMOUS for their cream of artichoke soup! They’ve received many awards and national recognition including a James Beard Foundation Award. When I found out that we were going to be traveling nearby, I had to include a stop-over to try their food.

There have been mixed reviews online regarding the artichoke soup, so I’m gonna throw my hat into the ring and say that I really liked the soup! It had a great texture and a nice natural artichoke flavor. They use sour cream and corn starch to thicken the soup instead of cream. They use bread from Half Moon Bay Bakery and it was delicious. The bread was reheated before serving so it was nice and warm and fluffy. NOMS!

Duarte's Tavern storefront
Duarte’s Tavern storefront.

Duarte's Tavern parking lot sign
Parking lot signage.

Boston clam chowder – Mission Street Oyster Bar

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Boston clam chowder - Mission Street Oyster Bar
With green lip mussels, black mussels, clams, and shrimp. Cup $3.95
Mission Street Oyster Bar, San Francisco CA

This chowder was pretty good, but I still couldn’t get over the fact that they charged for bread and butter especially when the price point of their entrees was $20 and up. And as you can see, they only give you a few slices. I don’t think I’ve experienced this at a San Francisco restaurant – kinda un-classy.

Bread - Mission Street Oyster Bar
Bread and butter. $1.75

Robert Howard sculpture
Creepy heads sculpture by Robert Howard, Phoenix Hotel.

White tortilla soup – Velvet Cantina

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White tortilla soup - Velvet Cantina
Mildly spicy chicken jalapeno broth, shredded chicken, tortilla strips, sour cream empanada. $6.99
Velvet Cantina, San Francisco CA

Mmm, this was delicious and I loved the fun sour cream empanada floating on top. That’s a new one for me! The soup had a lot flavor – it could have been spicier for me but that’s a minor complaint.

Velvet Cantina mural
Mexican themed mural outside the restaurant.

Deluxe udon – Wakaba Sushi & Noodle

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Deluxe udon - Wakaba Sushi & Noodle
Beef, tofu, shrimp tempura, seaweed, udon noodles, scallions. $13.95
Wakaba Sushi and Noodle, San Francisco International Airport (SFO)

This udon noodle soup was pretty good for airport food, but then most of the restaurants in Terminal 2 are better than most. The bowl looks small but there was surprisingly a lot of good! 🙂

Miso soup - Wakaba Sushi & Noodle
Miso soup. $2.45

Diet Coke - Wakaba Sushi & Noodle

Diet Coke.

Chopsticks cover - Wakaba Sushi & Noodle
Chopsticks cover.

Noodle soup #10 – Pho Big Bowl

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Noodle soup #10 - Pho Big Bowl
Pho tai chin nam. Eye round steak, brisket and well-done flank, served with thai basil, bean sprouts, jalapeno and lemon. Medium $5.75
Pho Big Bowl, Seattle WA

Soup additions - Pho Big Bowl
There’s something very comforting about pho. The rich beef broth is usually so flavorful and completely warms your body. Mix in a little heat, sour, and umami and you have a winning combination! Mmm.

Seattle rain aftermath
Seattle rain aftermath, Ballard.

Coney Island clam chowder – Fishermen’s Grotto

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Coney Island clam chowder - Fishermen's Grotto
Tomato based chowder served with oyster crackers. Cup $7.50
Fishermen’s Grotto, San Francisco CA

Mmm, this chowder was pretty flavorful. It was on the thick side, but I liked it. It had plenty of clams and vegetables packed within, yay!

Yellow California poppies
Yellow California poppies (Eschscholzia californica, Papaveraceae), Point Lobos Avenue.

Boston clam chowder – Fishermen’s Grotto

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Boston clam chowder - Fishermen's Grotto
Cream based chowder served with oyster crackers. Cup $7.50
Fishermen’s Grotto, San Francisco CA

I was skeptical of this restaurant located smack down in the middle of touristy Fisherman’s Wharf, but the food was great! The service was cheesy especially with their outdated uniforms, but very friendly. And the people-watching can’t be beat, lol! This chowder tasted great and had a nice creamy texture.

Sourdough bread - Fishermen's Grotto
Fresh sourdough bread. Complimentary

Yellow yarrow flowers
Yellow yarrow flowers (Achillea millefolium, Asteraceae), West Field Road.

Smoked chowder – AQ Restaurant

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Smoked chowder - AQ Restaurant
Bay scallops, cardoons and “old bay”. $16
AQ Restaurant, San Francisco CA

This is the only thing that I distinctly remembered and enjoyed from my meal at AQ, and that’s pretty sad for such a hyped restaurant. It had a great smoky flavor and I loved the thick texture of the cream chowder portion contrasted with the liquid clear broth. I had never had “chowder” presented this way before so it was exciting and delicious. But one dish from an entire meal can’t save a disappointing overall experience.

Tutto mare – Boulevard Cafe

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Tutto mare - Boulevard Cafe
Spaghetti, prawns, clams, mussels, fish, garlic, basil, white wine, red sauce. $15.95
Boulevard Cafe, Daly City CA

This restaurant is one of those places where the menu is gigantic and appears to contain food from all cuisines. Usually the food at these places are sorely lacking, but the things I ordered were actually pretty good. The tutto mare had plenty of seafood which I was surprised about since most places will skimp of the more expensive proteins. It had bold flavors and the pasta was perfectly al dente.

Avgolemono soup - Boulevard Cafe
Avgolemono soup. Traditional Greek soup with chicken, rice, lemon and egg. $2.95
This was OK. It was mostly broth.